Novel Protonic Neuron Theory: Bettering the Fundamental Understanding of Action Potential and Neural Stimulation

Abstract

Through biophysical chemistry analyses applying the transmembrane electrostatic proton localization theory, neural resting and action potential is now much better understood as the voltage contributed by the localized protons/cations at a neural liquid-membrane interface. Accordingly, the neural resting/action potential is essentially a protonic/cationic membrane capacitor behavior. It is now understood with a newly formulated protonic neural action potential equation: when action potential is below zero (negative number), the localized protons/cations charge density at the liquid-membrane interface along the periplasmic side are above zero (positive number); when the action potential is above zero, the concentration of the localized protons and localized non-proton cations is below zero, indicating a “depolarization” state. The nonlinear curve of localized protons/cations charge density in the time domain of an action potential spike appears as an inverse mirror image to the action potential signal. The protonic action potential equation provides biophysical insights for neuron electrophysiology, which may represent a complementary development to the classic Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation. Using the protonic neural action potential equation, the biological significance of axon myelination is now also elucidated as to provide protonic insulation and prevent any ions both inside and outside the neuron from interfering with the action potential signal, so that the action potential can quickly propagate along the axon with minimal (e.g., 40-times less) energy requirement. This new finding may have scientific implications also to better the fundamental understanding of neural stimulation in relation to the firing and propagation of action potential signals in neurons.